Interlocking concrete panels.



W. H. OBEIRNE. INTBRLOGKING CONCRETE FANBLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 12, 1910.

W. H. OBEIRNB.

INTERLOGKING CONCRETE PANBLS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 12, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2..

Patented. May 30, 1911.

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WILLIAM H. OBEIRNE, 0F PAULS VALLEY, KLAHOMA;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3o, i913.

Application filed March 12, 1910. .Serial No. 548,826.

To aZ/ whom z't may concern."

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. OBniRNn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pauls Valley, in the county of Garvin and State of Oklahoma,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlock` ingConcrete Panels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to improvements 1n the construction of concreteWalls and the novel elements of which the Wall is-composed ashereinafter set forth and claimed.

The `novel construction of the panels of my invention enables theconstruction of a Wall very quickly, accurately and strongly by Workmenof no especial skill. It enables theconstrnction of Walls the faces ofWhich are composedI of snch panels in close interlockedrelation,"theflanges of superposed panels engaging and fitting the'lgrooves of thesubadjacent panels. It enables the construction of Walls with the"outstanding flanges of the panels in facial contact With separatedspaces which may be filled with concrete. lt enables the construction ofWalls wherein the two faces of the Walls are separated from each otheror Aont of Contact and bridged by locking keys providing an intervening,space which may be illed with concrete, the keys constituting divisionpartitions providing separate spaces, all of -Wall rvlsi the intro which'maybe filledvfith concrete, or. any number thereof, according to theelection of the bnilder and 'the reqnirementg of the strength of theWall.

Referring to the accompanying illustratin my impro e panels ravvings din several manners rf utilization thereof lin 'tire constructionl of iMia-Figure l-is sectional ist'rating three characters of be co iw. 2 isa norrzontal sect-iena 'i 2-2 of ilig. l. Fig. 3 is on of reservoir Wallcon accordance with ray in vention. perspective vieiv' of key for lock aWall cc spacing 11' G le -r aren sectional posed relation,

therebetween.

'the edges bei" rasliioned to provide a point-- ing groove. r 6 aperspective view of av modified .terreni locking key and spacer. Fig.- Zis snlalevation or'faee view of the panel. Fig. 8-.is a side elevationshowing l the locking key and spacer elements of the 5 Wall projectingabove the concrete panels to receive superposed or abutting panels. 9 isa detail oit' two of the panels interlocked together Without interveninglocking spacer l elements, Where it is desiredl to form a Wall composedof the panels in Contact Without intervening spaces to be filled Withconcrete.'

Referring particularly to Fig. of the drawing, which illustrates one ofmy improved panels, the reference numeralV 1 designates the panel whichis provided with a series of outstanding facial flanges l1a which areundercut, as illustrated by the dotted line 13, and which diverge fromthe opposite edges of the panel to relatively Wide waists 1lb at themiddle line of the panel.A Inter vening the several flanges 11 aregrooves.11 having relatively Wide mouths opening. at l opposite edges ofthe panel and converging 1 to constricted waists 1lc at the middle lineof the panel. The area of the constricted Waists 11 of each groove isvsubstantially' equal to the area of each end of each of the flanges lla,'facial flanges of one panel are interlocked i with those of anotherlike panel, as shown in F ig. 9 of the drawing, the'langes of each panelenter the grooves of the other only to the middle line of each anel,leaving one- .half the length oi? the anges exposed for connection ofadditional abutting panels, whereby a structure composed solely of saidpanels facing eacli other land interlocked with each other, assliovvn'in Fig. 9, may be' 5 constructed. The proportions of the flangesandintervening grooves are important, be-

canse to successfully construct a Wall in the `marmer just stated, it isessential that onehall' the length of the flanges be exposed for Y,connection of abutting panels so that the flanges of .the latteraccurately interlock, leaving no looseness. would allow relativemovement between the panels, and, tl e ivoire, the construeu 'tilefacial of vvliielz are interlocked tact, as shown in. Fig. .o

jacent opposed panels, and the Wall caribe -tbu's built Without .lookingor tying the pan- Fig.

so that vvlienv the outstanding 'sind suoli looseness Wall composed ofpanels panel will be connected to and lockedto ad;

els together otherwise than by interlocking' with those of another (aslshown in Fig. 9)'

the narrow locking keys 31 shown in'Fig. 6`

may be employed torengage the grooves 11 of the opposed panels, as shownby the narrowest wall illustrated in Fig. 1. vThese elements B1 are ofthe same form and-"proportions as the facial flanges 11a, that is tosay, they diverge 'from their ends to a relatively wide' waist, and theends thereof are of substantially the same area as the constrietedWaists 11c of the grooves 11, so that they will enter said grooves onlyteI lthe waist-line thereof, and thus leave one-half the length of thekeys 31 exposed to engage abutting panels, just as shown in Fig. 9 withrespect. to the exposed length of the flanges 115. The locking elements31 have flanges which engage in the grooves of opposed panels, as

shown in Fig. 1, and these elements may be disposed 'in alternategrooves, leaving the intermediate ones to be filled lwith concrete asillustrated by 37 in Fig. 1.

constitute the inner and outer faces of the wall shall be separated adistance frorneach other to provide greater spaces to be filled withconcrete, wherea Vparticularly strong wall is desired, locking keys 7having flanges 9 beveled, as at 8,and diverging from their' ends tothe'waist-linethereof to engage the .walls of the groove 11 are used.These keys 7 have spacer webs'40 which span the l space between theinner and outer'faces of the wall as shown in Fig. 1. The proportion ofthe flanges 9 of this element 'are the same" as with respect to theflanges of the element 31, and the facial flanges 11iL ofthe panels,that is to say, the ends thereof are of substantially the same area asthe constricted Waists of the grooves 11, and the diverging edgesthereof lfit against the walls of the grooves, so that when utilized' tolock together .the opposed panels of the wall struc- ',ure, said flangesenter only to the middle or waist-line of the grooves ofthe panels,leaving one-half :the'length ,of the elements 7 exposed for theconnection ofabutting panels,.-

` as clearly illustrated in Fig. 8.

ln Fig. 1 is illustrated a wall in whiclf'tlie face panels areinterlocked together and separated from each other' by the elements 7.

A space Vis thus left between the panels con# stituting the inner' andouter faces lof the wall which may be filled with concrete 29, Fig. 1,and it is obvious, as shown in said figure, that the concrete may befilled in at desired intervals only, or the entire inter- 'the' spacers7 may be provided with vperfovening space maybe filled with concrete,

as shown in Fig. 3, depending upon the strength of wall desired. It isobvious that the contour of the panels may vary, depending upon thecharacter straight branch. ln Fig. 3 is illustrated a reservoir wallconstructed according to my invention inwhich the panels of the exteriorface of the wall are convex andvthose of the interior face concave.Where thel concrete.

is desired to fill the entire intervening space, between the panels, thespacing websl() of rations y10 so that theconcrete in 'ad]acent.divisions may be connected together in af -solid mass throughout thestructure. These' perforations also may be utilized for receivingstrengthening-wires for the filled in concrete or for receiving andsupporting an electrical conduit. Whereit is desired the edges of thepanels may be fashioned as shown in Fig. 6 to provide pointing grooves27 between the panels. Where it is desired that the panels which Whenwalls are constructed employing either the keys 31 or the keys 7 .thepanels constituting the faces of the wall are arranged in lapped `jointrelationas shown in Figs. 1 and V2, so thatthe facing panels are lockedtogether in a horizontal direction.

1. As an article of manufacture, a con-i 105 panel, the areaf'of theeonstricted fwaists of i the grooves being substantially equal to thearea of the end of the flanges so that the outstanding Ifacial flangesof'one panel may be v interloeked with those of another like panel' byentering the grooves of the latter only to 'the middle line o f thepanel so as toleav one-half'the len h of the flanges exposed by astructure composed of such an es facing each other may be construct withlapped joints.

2. In a concrete wall structure the' combi- 1. I

nation with opposed concrete panels pro.- vided with outstanding facialflanges divcrging from the opposite edges of the panel to the middleline of the pane and separated from each other by a plurality of groovesfor connection 0 ladditional flan es, wherehaving relatively Wide mouthsopening at opposite edges of the panel and conv-erging to the-middleline of the panel, of a Wall key comprising a central web, laterallydisposed flanges thereon, said flanges diverg'ing from the ends of thekey to the middle line thereof and adapted to engage the grooves in theconcrete panels, substantially Aas described.

3. ln a concrete Wall structure the combination with opposed concretepanels provided with outstanding facial flanges diverging from theopposite edges of the panel to the middle line of 'the panel andseparated :from each other by a plurality of grooves having relativelyWide mouthsopening at opposite edges of the panel and converging to themiddle line of the panel, of a wall key eomprisinga central aperturedWeb, laterally disposed flanges thereon, saidflanges diverging from theends of the key to the middle line thereof and adapted to'engage thegrooves in the concrete panels, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of twoWitnesses. f WILLIAM H. OBEIRNE.` lVitnesses:

H. B. JONES, E. C. HENDERSON.

